This invention relates to the sending of electronic messages. In particular, the invention relates to managing delays in the delivery of electronic messages.
Using electronic messaging, service providers can transmit messages nearly instantly to thousands of recipients. Time-sensitive information can be sent using protocols such as, for example, the short message peer to peer (SMPP) protocol for the short message service (SMS) or the session initiation protocol (SIP). Such information is usually sent in the form of short, text-based messages to recipients' mobile telephones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), or computers. Recipients may, for example, request a service provider to automatically keep them up to date with electronic messages reporting on the latest stock prices, weather conditions, sports scores, and news headlines.
As such services become more popular, however, the capacity of electronic networks can be strained to their limits. When the number of messages to be sent outpaces the capacity of a network, messages are placed in a queue until the network has the capacity to send them. When large numbers of messages are sent at once, delivery can be delayed for hours, and the timely information promised through electronic messaging may be stale by the time it is received. The problem is compounded by the ability of service providers to use bulk message gateways. Through a bulk message gateway, a service provider can provide a single message and request that it be multicast to thousands of recipients.
As an example, tens of thousands of recipients may request a service provider to send them electronic messages containing breaking news headlines. When there is breaking news, the service provider sends an electronic message to a bulk message gateway requesting that it be multicast to all of these recipients at once. If the bulk message gateway through which the messages are sent is unable to handle the sudden capacity, the delivery of the messages can be delayed indefinitely. When the message are finally received, they may be too old to be useful, and may at that point be more of an annoyance than a convenience.